RE: WHY WE CAN’T HAND OVER TO YOUNG PEOPLE – Okorocha”

The Vanguard Newspaper has carried a story with the above caption on page 15 of its Tuesday, December 27, 2016 edition. One of the two correspondents of the medium in Owerri Chinonoso Alozie wrote the story. The Senior Correspondent of the newspaper in Owerri is Chidi Nkwopara an indigene of Owerre Nchi-ise. And they have, without pretence, made themselves tools of blackmail against Governor Rochas Okorocha and his administration.

In the latest blackmail, the reporter, Chinonso Alozie injected virus into two innocent releases issued by me as the Chief Press Secretary to the governor. One captioned “Governor Rochas Okorocha’s Goodwill Message at Christmas”. The second one titled “Governor Rochas Okorocha says Peace in Families is Key to the Nation’s Peace”. And they decided to use the two releases as instruments of blackmail.

The caption of the story “Why we can’t hand over to young people” was inciting and was never part of any of the two releases. In the first paragraph of the story, Governor Okorocha was quoted to have said “…Young people ought to be groomed well before handing over leadership to them”. There was nowhere in the two releases where this was said.

In the tenth paragraph of the story, the reporter equally wrote “the governor also blamed past leaders who lacked proper family upbringing for the lack of peace in the country”. There was also nowhere in the second release where this statement was made.

The reporter deliberately embarked on blackmail trip leveraging on two harmless releases issued by me. They had before now also wrote that the court had frozen all the accounts of the state government. We denied the report and challenged them to publish the court order, and it was never done. And so many of such false reports.

It is very disturbing that the two reporters in Owerri are using a highly rated and highly respected newspaper like the Vanguard to fight a clannish war or petty interest war against Governor Okorocha.

Above all these, the question remains, whether a highly intelligent man like Governor Okorocha could make some of the callous statements attributed to him? We suspected that they also originated the story of the ghost slapping the governor because of Ekeukwu Owerri Market and even the death rumour.

One of the two reporters came up with this latest blackmail because the Former President, Chief Olusegu Obasanjo came to the state few days ago and said the Owerri he saw today is different from the Owerri he used to know, and commended Governor Okorocha for the transformation. They don’t like to hear anything good about Gov. Okorocha.

The truth is that the only way these spiritually poor reporters can succeed in blackmailing Okorocha is by faulting his claim over his achievements. The man said he has done more than one thousand verifiable projects, and has achieved more than what all the past governors had achieved put together. Let them prove him wrong instead of chasing shadow.

And for the avoidance of doubt, we are re-sending the two releases in question for Nigerians to see the extent some elements have gone in their effort to blackmail Governor Okorocha and even the journalism profession.

Let the reporter, Chinonso Alozie publish verbatim the two releases in question to justify his story or cover his face in shame.

And we have also decided not to go to court against Vanguard because of these two clannish and petty reporters. We can only say, may God reward them according to what they have been writing against Governor Rochas Okorocha and his administration. We would only ask for a retraction on this latest report.

Sam Onwuemeodo
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

GOVERNMENT OF IMO STATE (1)
PRESS RELEASE

SUBJECT: Governor Rochas Okorocha’s Goodwill Message At Christmas



As Christians celebrate Christmas to mark the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has sincerely urged Christians in the country to continue to pray for the prosperity and unity of the country. He also called for prayers for the leaders at all levels in the country.

The governor also asked Christians in the state in particular to pray more than they had never done before, for the good of the state and her people.

The Governor said Nigerians especially the leaders should appreciate themselves and see the current recession as a national challenge.

The governor said, what Nigerians and of course the leaders in particular need to do now, is to unite and begin to build a country of our collective dreams and aspirations, since the leaders cannot afford to hand over to the next generation what we have at the moment as a nation, in which ethnicity, religious bigotry and zoning of political offices are still the orders of the day. He said Nigerians must endeavour to hand over to the next generation a united and prosperous nation, all the ethnic and religious groups can be proud of.

The Governor also asked Nigerians to remain committed in their support for President Mohammadu Buhari and the APC government since the President and the APC government meant well for the nation.

Governor Okorocha particularly appealed to the people of the State to appreciate the glaring desire of the Rescue Mission Government to make Imo a model state and to also acknowledge that as their governor, he meant well, hence, the monumental achievements already recorded by his administration.

He assured the people of the state that he would not relent in his concerted effort to keep the state on the speed lane of development, growth and progress and indeed, to make the state the envy of others. He wished the good people of the state a Merry Christmas.


Sam Onwuemeodo
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

GOVERNMENT OF IMO STATE (2)
PRESS RELEASE

SUBJECT: GOVERNOR ROCHAS OKOROCHA SAYS PEACE IN FAMILIES IS KEY TO THE NATION’S PEACE

Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that the nation’s peace can be guaranteed when families across the nation are in peace, and then advised parents to always tell their family members the need for peace and love for another.

Governor Okorocha who made the remark at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church Ogboko where he worshipped with the wife and children on Sunday, December 25, 2016 advised parents to stop showing their children their enemies or telling their children who offended them or those they should avoid.

According to Governor Okorocha, if peace and love had flown from the families in the country since the nation’s independence there would not have been the Civil War or Boko Haram or IPOB or Niger-Delta Avengers, regretting that it was the seed of discord sown long before now that has given birth to all these agitations on the basis of tribe and religion.

His words “I advise that this time around, we should take up a new resolution to say we must be at peace with ourselves and at peace with our neighbours and indeed at peace with others. This is what is key, as too much of negative analysis, contentions and complains have led us no where”.

He continued “I also advise that we should be able to relate with one another and be our brothers’ keepers not minding tribal or religious differences. This is my message for all, and only then, the progress we are looking for shall come”.

In his sermon at the service, Rev. Father Chimezie Okeonu told Nigerians to shun selfishness adding that love of self only is a serious sin before God. He said selfishness is the reason for most of the crimes in the country including corruption.

He urged Christians to live exemplary life that would be worthy of emulation.

Sam Onwuemeodo
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.


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What a long note